Google as publisher

Google is not only the largest search engine in the world. Google is also the most prolific publisher in the world. As a marketer or small business owner, you should think of Google as you would your local newspaper editor. To get “earned media” or “free press coverage,” you must write in your preferred style and follow their guidelines on how to submit articles.

In this short article, we explain some of Google’s “secret” preferences for selecting websites to summarize in your search results, with a particular focus on Google’s preferred writing style.

SEO-friendly keywords and tags

HTML is the language of the Web and it is the language of Google. HTML intersects with humans through tags. Tags like TITLE, H1 / H2, STRONG, B, EM, I, A HREF and others tell the web browser how to display the characters on the page: what size, what font (in some situations) and even if a word is a ‘ link ‘to another. However, what many humans don’t realize is that these tags also create the syntax of a special language: the HTML language as communication between your website and Google. Google reads your website and interprets the relationship of your tags to your keywords to find out what your website is about.

The first secret to writing Google-friendly SEO prose is identifying your target keywords. If you are a personal injury attorney in New York, for example, you can generate a keyword list of:

Personal injury attorney, attorney, plaintiff …

Medical malpractice, hospital negligence … (A practice area)

New York, NY, Manhattan, NJ, New York Area …

Car Accident, Car Accident, Car Injury, Car Injury … (Other Practice Area)

The second secret is that while writing your prose for Google, you need to prioritize your SEO keywords. Outside of your home page, each individual page on your website should generally focus on a single keyword phrase. So, you may have a page directed to ‘New York Medical Malpractice Lawyer’ and quite another page that focuses on ‘New York Car Accident Lawyer’. In other words, the second secret to Google-friendly prose is focus. You should focus your page on a single keyword / key phrase.

As we teach in our page tag classes at JM Internet Group, you strategically ‘weave’ your keywords into your tags. Begin first with the TITLE tag of the page. That tag should succinctly characterize your page’s SEO keyword goal. For instance,

Repeat, repeat, repeat (but don’t be obvious)

Matt Cutts and other prominent Googlers argue that you should write prose for Google that is essentially the same as the prose you write for humans. We respectfully disagree. SEO-friendly prose is, on average, significantly more redundant than prose that would be written for humans. SEO friendly prose targets a particular keyword or keyword phrase and repeats that keyword. Now the trick is to repeat the keywords in different ways, with different syntax, in different organizations so that your page is both keyword heavy and at the same time not so obvious or ridiculous that Google dismisses it as spam.

For example, let’s look at one of our favorite SEO websites: geico.com. Here is a sample of their page aimed at Motorcycle Insurance. We’ve highlighted the motorcycle occurrences below:

Before starting your engine, get a motorcycle insurance quote

Accelerate your savings with GEICO motorcycle insurance. No matter what you own – a sports bike, a cruiser, a standard bike, a touring bike, or a nice custom ride – you can turn to us for great rates and the best coverage. We even offer scooter insurance. Enjoy the freedom of the open road knowing that the gecko® has your back! Get free motorcycle insurance quotes anytime. Why choose GEICO for motorcycle insurance?

You thought GEICO was about auto insurance, right? Think again! We take motorcycles as seriously as you do, and we are pleased to provide you with high-quality coverage for your bike. With GEICO, you get:

Excellent customer service (rated 4.7 out of 5 by our motorcycle insurance policy holders).
Affordable Premiums and Flexible Payment Plans.
Secure online payment and account management.
24-hour access to our licensed insurance professionals at 1-800-442-9253.

Get a motorcycle insurance quote and see what GEICO can do for you.

Read more at http://www.geico.com/getaquote/motorcycle/

What is the point? The point is keyword repetition and keyword density. Despite what Googlers may say, successful SEO-friendly prose is actually quite keyword-heavy. Not obscenely, but definitely heavier in terms of keywords than you would write for mere humans. Google prefers text with lots of keywords and uses Geico pages as examples of what I would call Google compatible prose. Successful, SEO-friendly copywriting is a heavier and clumsier form of prose than we were used to before on the internet.

Another great example of SEO friendly prose can be found at http://www.sfflowershop.com/ – scroll to the bottom of the page and CTRL + F to SEARCH in Firefox. Write the word Flower.

Finally, note that both Geico and SFFlowershop.com are doing very well in terms of SEO for their target keyword searches. They are successful in their SEO. Type ‘Online Motorcycle Insurance Quote’ into Google or ‘Motorcycle Insurance Quote’ and you will find Geico. Type ‘San Francisco Flower Delivery’ and you will find sfflowershop.com. They have their tag structure and keyword density in good shape.

Normal and abnormal keyword density

So to summarize. First, identify your target keywords. Next, keep in mind that a big secret to successful SEO-friendly copywriting is focus. Geico’s motorcycle page focuses on a single type of insurance and a main keyword family: motorcycle insurance. Yours should do the same. Third, be sure to strategically place your target keywords in your main tags, such as the TITLE and H1 tag. Fourth, write SEO friendly copy. That means frequent and repetitive use of the target keyword. Don’t overdo it. Don’t go crazy and repeat the keyword millions of times. Google is all the rage at that!

Instead, use the target keyword frequently in your written copy. Read it out loud. It should sound clunky and repetitive like Geico and Fillmore Florist do above. But it shouldn’t sound too modest or incredibly repetitive. Keep your balance and attack through the middle ground! Lastly, use a keyword density tool like http://www.keyworddensity.com/ to compare your keyword density with other sites that are performing well for your target keywords. Stay on top of the pack in terms of density. Just a bit denser than top performers, but don’t overdo it.

Google has created a new style of prose in English. Clunky, keyword-heavy prose written primarily for Google, not humans. So who said that writing is dead? Writing has simply evolved with the Internet.